


Where There's Beer, There's Chocolate

by iscoutregiment57



Category: Haikyuu!!, 言の葉の庭 | Kotonoha no Niwa | Garden of Words (2013)
Genre: Innocent Fluff, M/M, alchohol, probably, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-05-28 17:29:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6338506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iscoutregiment57/pseuds/iscoutregiment57
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sawamura Daichi has not put much thought into his rainy mornings. Yes, the smell of the Earth rising up through the city calls him to that one corner of the serene park he often visits, but other than that, there's nothing more to it. Nowadays, there happens to be a guest who accompanies him on his mornings; and, it might be the innocent way his lip curls into a smile, or the way his ash-like hair is effortlessly tousled, but there's definitely something about this boy that Daichi needs to know more about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello There

**Author's Note:**

> So my friend and I were watching the Garden of Words and we thought of how Daisuga could easily fit into this and hence the crossover was born. I hope you enjoy it because I'll probably be putting my life and soul into this.

It started as a soft pitter-patter among the sidewalk, just barely creating a dent in the overall color of it. Little by little, the sidewalk’s sandy white bore way to a damp beige due to the rolling clouds of a greyed black over the city’s skyline. Although most of the population would’ve rather called in sick to sleep through the groggy weather, there were a few who stayed awake when the rest of the world fell asleep.

  
With a cheesy ringtone that pierced the fresh, morning air, Sawamura Daichi instantly shuffled his large hand across his bed stand, trying desperately to find his phone to turn off the wretched noise in his half-awakened state. Succeeding in his endeavor, he settled into the covers up to his chin, convincing himself he would only stay like that a little bit longer. This was the morning routine for Daichi, as he often liked to hear and feel what his surroundings would be like that day instead of abruptly waking up to it.  
To his content, he could hear the soft impingement of the weather upon his window pane, and it brought a small smile to his worn face. Slowly, he fluttered his whiskey-toned eyes open to take in, once more, the clutter about his room. Without going about in a rush, the boy rolled himself out of bed, calmly placing strewn papers into their proper binders, placing said binders into a bag, and dressing into his school uniform. He made sure to toss in a sketchbook and a lunch into his bag, shouldered it, then walked out of his apartment door, umbrella in hand.

  
While the rest of the world bustled about in a hurry to reach their designated place of the work week (whether it be by train, bus, or car), Daichi popped open his umbrella and strolled his way to the city park, not caring if he missed his first class of the day. He figured he could get his notes from Asahi, his fellow third year and best friend. If it was a test, he didn’t mind if he had to stay after school to take it. Daichi wasn’t a man of utmost importance or upkeep. He only had small things that kept him happy, and that was all he needed.

  
Upon arriving at the park, he wound his way through a path that was more coated in brambles and weeds than the others. Though this always caused him to be cautious of ripping his clothes, it was worth it in the end. Making it through the impossible shrubbery, he found himself at a pond’s edge, where lilies had spread their way across, trees loomed, and a perfectly covered bench sat. In the process of taking a step towards the gazebo, he halted, seeing another person in that spot that he usually occupied.  
He shrugged; no matter. It wasn’t like that would ruin his good mood. Upon arriving, the other person happened to be a boy, looking no older than himself. He offered a kindly smile, scooting over to the other corner for Daichi to take a seat. The broader boy nodded in thanks as he took his seat, while the other merely hummed, folding his knees to his chest so that he leaned against the bench, staring at the rain. Daichi paid no more attention to him as he pulled out his sketchpad and began some designs.

  
After a while, Daichi needed reference, and since there happened to be a preoccupied model right in front of him, why not? Daichi tried to gracefully stare at the stranger’s elbows and knees, roughly copying them down, then stopping to adjust repetitively. Now that Daichi’s focus was back on the boy, didn’t he have somewhere to be? Granted, Daichi was in no place to ridicule him, but he didn’t have any sort of presence that made him look official, like he belonged in an office building, or a uniform that signified that he went to school.

  
His appearance didn’t help either. Daichi tried to place him in some sort of category based on his age, but the boy seemed ageless. The small smile he wore seemed well-used, like a third-year, or maybe even college. The way he carried himself had an adult-ish aura to it, but his beauty mark and ash-like hair gave him the appearance of a person well into their middle ages. But his childish humming, bright hazel eyes, and the way he rocked his knees back and forth made him think of a toddler.

  
The boy brought a can up to his lips, taking a slow sip of the liquid. When the can was placed back behind him, he read the label and was a little shocked to find that he was drinking beer. So he had to be at least twenty-one, right? Daichi then felt a little stupid for not noticing earlier, but the can had been placed right next to a bag with a couple more beers and…chocolate… Milk, dark, white, sugar-less, you name it. As Sawamura buried his nose back into his sketches, he contemplated this person before him. Chocolate and beer; an odd combination, but then again, the boy seemed like a puzzle to him.

  
Finishing a good design, Daichi hummed happily to himself. As he packed away his things, he checked the time, and found that he had twenty minutes to spare until his next class started. Perfect. With his bag draped around his shoulders and umbrella ready to embrace the rain, Daichi gave another respectful nod towards the other, in which he received a friendly good-bye wave in return. Daichi’s face lit up, though he wasn’t sure why, but this quirky individual had set the mood of the day for him.

  
It’s not hard to imagine what Daichi thought about all day.


	2. The Group Wants To Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi has an odd group of friends, though they claim him to be the odd one for going out on his rainy mornings. But it's bound to spill what beautiful creature Daichi caught sight of that morning.

Just as his fourth class of the day, Physics, began to wind down, the bell chimed its lunch hour. Glancing out the window, Daichi was surprised to see that the weather had cleared up surprisingly well. The sun was back out, seeping through sugar-whipped clouds and basking the world in a pale sunlight. Balancing his binders and textbooks amongst his burly arms, he strode out of the classroom in a kind of happy gait.

After dropping off his schoolwork at his locker and retrieving his lunch, Daichi padded through the already-empty halls, dress shoes clicking away at the slick tile. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear the slapping of running feet against the hard floor until a very energetic “Daichi-san!!!” followed it.

Turning around at the last minute, he was still surprised when Nishinoya Yuu jumped off of Daichi’s shoulder, propelling himself a few feet into the air. A cackle of laughter followed, as he landed, spinning himself around, an unstoppable ball of energy. Even if he decided to stay still for a moment, his appearance gave away his restlessness. With brown hair jolted towards the ceiling like he had stuck his finger in a charging outlet (save for one bleached portion that flopped atop his forehead), owlish eyes, rumpled school clothes, and a small frame of 5’2”, Noya was just as energetic as a grade-schooler (and just so happened to look like one).

A smile pressed into his face, Noya greeted, “Missed ya again this morning, ya weirdo. Rain this, and rain that!”

A smile rose to Daichi’s face, and before he could reply, a gentle, warning voice said, “Yuu, calm down. You’re being too loud…”

Daichi turned to face the man, brown hair pulled semi-back, and a kind of hunch in his shoulders as if he were terrified of heights, despite being tall. With a look of terror, Asahi grunted when Daichi slammed his hand against his back in greeting, asking, “How’s it going, Asahi?”

Giving a sheepish smile, he smiled, “Fine, and you?”

“What?” Noya chirped.

Daichi chuckled under his breath as they continued walking, Asahi desperately attempting to explain himself to Noya, “No, ‘you’, not Yuu.” 

“Oh, I get it! Wait, you?”

“No, not me, him.”

“Daichi-san?”

He let out a sigh of relief, “Yes.”

There was a pause while Noya looked back and forth between Daichi and Asahi. Finally he said, “Him what?”

Asahi smacked a palm to his face while Daichi gave a deep laugh, chiding, “That’s enough boys, we’re almost here anyway.”

Arriving at the rooftop, Sawamura swung the door open, revealing a bald blur barging towards Noya, scooping him up onto his shoulders. “YUU!” Tanaka screeched.  
“Yes! ME!” Noya called back. 

Running back into the sunlight, the boys disappeared around the corner, while Daichi and Asahi found themselves eating with Kiyoko, who had made it there before any of them. Silent as ever, she offered them some of her lunch, to which they politely accepted. Eventually, Daichi had to yell at the immature boys to stop running around and eat their food before it turned warm and gross. The three of them laughed as the boys scrambled to find where they had hastily dropped off their lunches.  
“Asahi?” Daichi asked soon after things had quieted down.

He merely looked over at him with innocent eyes, raising a brow.

“Do you have notes from first period? I was gone and I know that we have a test coming up, so-“

Asahi waved his hand as if that would will away the words Daichi was speaking, and replied, “Don’t worry about it. I even filled out an extra paper for you.”

Daichi began to thank him, but immediately switched tracks, “Asahi, honestly, you have to be more firm. You can’t just do people’s work for them, otherwise you’re just allowing people to trample all over you. You’ll go all your life just doing whatever somebody tells you to and you’ll do it because you never listened to the advice I gave you way back when in high school.” Asahi gave a look of confusion, which quickly switched to shame, allowing all of Daichi’s words to hurt him on a deep level. 

With a slap on the back, Noya shouted, “Don’t worry, Asahi! As long as I’m here, you can’t possibly let people tell you to do stuff. If they do, I’ll just tell them to shove off, or stuff it up their ass!”

Asahi gave an unsure smile, “Um, thanks?”

Noya nodded his head in approval, as if he was reminding the taller that he was correct. 

“So what was so interesting this morning that you decided to up and leave us?” Tanaka barked, a look of pure bloodlust on his face.

Pulling out a look his father had often used, Daichi reprimanded, “Tanaka, do not look down on your senpai like that. It’s disrespectful.”

Bowing his head, he grumbled apologies, but then reinforced the question.

With a light pink barely dusting his cheeks, Sawamura replied, “Oh. Just, it was raining, and the weather was nice.”

While the boys thought nothing of it, Kiyoko regarded the man in front of her, then said in a small voice, “Someone was there this time.” The heads that had just turned away snapped back towards Daichi, keen on hearing what he had to say.

A blush forced its way up from his throat all over his cheeks, and Daichi coughed, stuttering, “No. Well yes, but nothing happened.”  
“Tell us more, dear Daichi-san,” Noya sang.

“Well, he-“

“I KNEW IT!” Tanaka screeched. “He’s a bi, pay up, Noya.”

“It’s not like it matters anyway. God, Tanaka, sometimes I swear,” Noya grumbled as he paid his expenses.

Asahi hushed them and urged Daichi to go on with a flourish of his hand.

Daichi scratched the back of his neck, flustered. “Well, he just was a handsome guy who was just sitting there. Nothing happened. I merely regarded him and we went about the things we did.”

“Well? What was he doing?” Noya persisted.

Tanaka looked around, then coughed, slamming his words together, “Jacking-off-for-Daichi!”

The blush intensified ferociously upon Daichi while Asahi exclaimed, “Tanaka! God, you filthy mind!” While Kiyoko’s eyes widened, a light blush dusting her cheeks too. Noya just cackled along with his friend.

Soon enough, their attention was back on Daichi as he stared thoughtfully at the ground, “He was only drinking beer and eating chocolate…” As the rest looked at him confused, the bell rang, dismissing them to their fifth class of the day.


	3. I Feel Like I Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another rainy day brings our hopeless romantic back to the garden where the boy is. This time, not only stares are exchanged, but a few strange words that will definitely amount to something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, I already have about a hundred hits and that's crazy omg thank you for reading it. I legit didn't think it would get too popular

The following day, Daichi awoke long before his alarm went off because of the scent that drifted into his nose. It was the smell of the wet earth. Of mud, water, and plants. Of slumber, peace, and humidity. Rolling out of bed, he debated on whether or not he should go to the park early, or enjoy a cup of coffee on his apartment patio.

The latter ruled over, and under the little umbrella that guarded the table and himself, he sat down gently, as if he were trying not to disturb the table. Sipping quietly on the bitter liquid, he noticed that the rain today was not a gentle tapping upon the deck, but more of fat droplets, making quite the racket. Lost in his own thoughts, he was surprised when he tipped the cup all the way back, but none of the potation filled his mouth. He smirked at the coffee drains, taking time to get up and rinse out the mug.

Ambling down the street not ten minutes later, he wondered if the boy from before would be there. Not like he cared, just so you know, but he was really aiming to see that childish smile, with his perfect lips…but to reinforce the previous statement, he absolutely did not care if the boy was there this time.

Maybe he would even introduce himself that time. Daichi thought that the boy was more of a philosophical kind of person than naïve like his habits pertained him to be. To distract his thoughts, Daichi occupied himself with “Had-he-done-his-homework”, or “Was-there-a-test-today” kind of thoughts. To his luck, the answer to first was yes, and the second one was a no.

Parting the branches aside, he tread cautiously over the sodden dirt, hoping that the school would still admit him with muddy shoes. To his fortune and misfortune, the boy from before was not seated there under the gazebo. His exasperated breath of humidity was most certainly not a sigh of relief.

He sat himself down in his preferred corner, taking out his sketchbook, eraser, and pencils. For quite some time now, almost as long as he had loved volleyball, Daichi had been obsessed with sporting clothes. More specifically, volleyball uniforms. Every shirt design, every shade of color for the shorts, and every fabric material used for kneepads made him aspire to be a successful designer. One that would become a smashing success all throughout Japan.

As he was burying his head into a carefully laid-out sketch of sneakers, he felt a presence. Glancing up, there was the boy. His smoky hair was in its fly-away position, soft, hazel eyes regarding, and brilliant smile, the pale boy sat down diagonally from Sawamura. Daichi felt heat creep onto his cheeks and his heart begin to increase its beating rate.

He forced his face towards the drawing again, hand shaking as he desperately attempted to finish this one design. Awakening from his internal struggle, Daichi lifted up his head when he heard a crinkle of foil and a crack that wasn’t sharp, but very deep.

He saw that the ageless boy had unwrapped a new bar of chocolate, and had bitten out of it, still holding the rest of the bar to his lips. He looked into the distance, brows slightly creased together, as if he were deep in thought. Without looking up, the boy set his candy down, reached for a can of beer, and popped it open without a second thought.

Daichi attempted to focus back on his drawing but then reasoned that he could finish it later. As he began to pack his stuff away, he questioned, “Excuse me?” To his horror, his voice cracked on “me”, sending it into a squeal, which, in turn, sent him into a heated blush.

The boy gave no thought to it, whipping his head around with his eyebrows up in a questioning state.

Daichi busied himself with his packing up, and made small talk, “That’s an interesting combination, isn’t it? Beer and chocolate?”

Daichi finally raised his cocoa eyes to the other’s henna eyes, which were attached to a beautiful smile. “It’s what I do,” he purred.

Daichi was taken aback by his voice. He would’ve guessed that his voice was a silky tenor, but the man’s voice flowed like molasses; slow, velvety, and smooth in a way that carried confidence. Eyes lighting up, he gathered a handful of the treat, thrusting it towards Sawamura. “Would you like any?”

Again, the broader boy was surprised, and politely refused, “No, thank you. I’m actually supposed to be leaving right around now.” He made sure to add a small smile at the end to not pass off as rude.

The other shrugged mindlessly, turning his attention back to the scenery. Daichi was worried for a moment there, but he had managed not to screw it up. As he began his departure back to the real world, the other began to softly hum. Sawamura thought nothing of it until he heard his velvety voice recite something in a sing-song voice.

 

_“A faint clap of thunder_

_Clouded skies_

_Perhaps rain comes_

_If so, will you stay with me?”_

Daichi turned back to the individual, who offered him nothing but a gentle smile, turning his attention back to the rain. Daichi waited a moment longer to see if something would be revealed, but nothing happened, save for the boy swaying his foot back and forth. Puzzled, Daichi carried onward.


	4. Thanks A Lot, Beautiful Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It depends on how you look at it, but some would say this mystery man was having a negative effect on Sawamura Daichi. However, Daichi tended to think that this was something extraordinary, no matter how many times questions filled his had about the other or how many times he fell asleep in class because of him.

The sun burst through the clouds as if it were urging Sawamura to rise and be on his way. By the way he jumped out of bed, the boy seemed to feel it as well. Though there was no tell-tale thumping of water rippling across a window pane, not even a sign of a brooding cloud, Daichi felt a strong urge to go to the park.

Now.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, not caring what was in it, Daichi raced out the door, not even bothering to grab a bite to eat. He ran as fast as he could, feeling as if going to the park was the only reason air flooded his lungs. Feeling sorry, for he would normally not do this, Daichi even had to push through the crowds, some people screaming at him to get lost. He knew nothing of it. He only knew of gardens, rivers, stones, gazebos, and a man who made his heart flutter.

While the brambles and thorns tore away at his pants and scraped at his face, he bounded forward, feeling no stinging sensation. Making it out of the forest-like trail, he stopped, leaning over his knees and gasping for breath. He swallowed air down, forcing himself to calm down, now that his heart wasn’t pumping fast due to the running.

Picking up a slower jog, he brought himself to the gazebo, where the sugar-sweet boy sat, drinking his beer and eating his chocolate. Daichi paused before he sat down, and the two merely stared at the other, wondering if one was about to say something.

Daichi smiled, and to his content, the boy smiled back, sending a frenzy of emotions exploding through his core. His stomach churned, but Sawamura managed to huff, “I’m here,” in a proud tone.

The boy rose, his hair shifting ever-so-slightly, and he brushed himself off. His eyes soft, the other hummed, honey dripping from his voice, “I know, Daichi.”

He didn’t even ponder the fact that he had never mentioned his name to him before.

The ashen-haired now did more of a smirk, the mole next to his left eye quirking upwards. It was endearing, and Daichi’s smile was lopsided. The boy strode towards him, and Sawamura just noticed that they were about the same height.

Wait. Something was different about him this time. The boy no longer carried the presence of a lost lamb, too innocent to be wandering alone. His eyes were half-lidded and glazed over, as if the only thing he could see was Daichi. As he continued to walk towards the broader one, he tilted his chin down in a submissive manner.

Daichi’s face was flushed; he had never been looked at like that before. He went to take a hesitant step back, but his body had gone stiff. He couldn’t move. He could only watch at this sensuous boy grabbed hold of his tie, yanking his body forward. A strangled sound left Daichi’s throat, but he didn’t feel as ridiculous as he did five seconds ago when he heard a lustful voice whisper in his ear, “I knew you’d come today.”

To his surprise, he felt a soft pair of lips press against the spot right in front of his ear, a soft breath sounding. Daichi shuddered, now pressing the boy to him, one hand slipping through the hair that was just as feathery as it had looked. Hot kisses leaked across his jaw, and Daichi felt bliss. Just barely kissing the corner of his mouth, the boy pulled back, gazing at Daichi with an intense expression. Just as Daichi was about to initiate another kiss, the boy flicked his nose as hard as he possibly could.

Sawamura Daichi lurched upwards so suddenly, his chair created a racket and he almost fell off of his desk. In an instant, all of the fatigue he had just previously felt vanished in a wave of shock and embarrassment.

While a ferocious blush worked its way from his throat up to his cheeks, the rest of the class stared in surprise, most snickering under their hands, though Tanaka was visibly laughing on the other side of the room, shaking like a leaf in a storm.

Sensei Takeda wasn’t surprised in the least, huffing a breath as he pressed his glasses further up his nose. “Daichi,” he sighed.

Daichi sat at attention, promising himself that he definitely knew the topic well enough to answer whatever question would be thrown his way.

“How does one determine the presence of nuclear export signals within mRNA?”

He had lied to himself.

~~~

Upon arriving home, Daichi was still muttering over the fact that he had embarrassed himself in such a way in front of his classmates. It wasn’t so much so that he cared about his social status, but more that he wanted to be a good role model and encourage his Kohai. Thanks to joining a small school, Karasuno High was bound to spread the word within hours. Oh well.

Deciding that it was late enough in the evening to start dinner, he decided to put off his homework for later, and set about making yakitori. About to begin the grilling process (they had a grill on their porch), his older brother bursting through the door with an, “I’m home!”

Daichi wasn’t exactly shy, he just carried his confidence quietly, but his brother had a brash personality, often coming off as extremely insensitive. His brother also carried more of their mother’s features, while Daichi was more like his father, or so he’d been told.

His brother helped with the rest of the grilling, and they got around to talking about midway through dinner. As the boy was pondering if he’d put enough parsley as seasoning, his brother mentioned, “By the way, I’m going to be moving out…”  
Daichi had just barely swallowed his chicken, but he managed to choke out, “You’re living by yourself?!”

His brother shrugged, “Nah, I’m gonna go live with my girlfriend.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

He laughed nervously, but then asked, “Do you think that’s why mom ran out today?” He recalled her storming out the door earlier, muttering something about not following her.

His brother drew a blank for a second before remembering that he had told her just the day before. His expression stayed a little dark, but tried to stay careless when he said, “I dunno. But I think it’s because she went to go argue with her boyfriend. But if it is because of me, the woman needs to learn that we have lives to live. Damn it, she’s the one who spends her time with guys younger than her age!” His face began to grow redder by the second, but let it out quickly in one hot breath.

Then, in a joking manner, he added, “But she’s also got those young looks. I think she’s just mad at you because you’re adding the years on top of her,” with a wry grin that perfectly imitated their mother.

Quickly sipping the last of his water, he wiped his mouth, excusing himself with, “Finished. How about you do the dishes if I’m just _so old_?” He teased.

“Alright, sure. Now, off to your room, old man,” the sibling threw back, emitting a laugh from both of them.

~~~

Halfway through his homework, Daichi checked the weather, and sure enough, there was an eighty-seven percent chance of rain the next day. He reasoned that he could get the rest done later on in the morning. In the meantime, he spent his last few hours of energy sanding a foot model to better associate him with his project on volleyball sneakers.

Suddenly, he found that there was an absence of sound, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He figured out that it was the fact that the shower had stopped running when he caught his brother rubbing his hair dry out of the corner of his eye.

His brother glanced at what the younger had been working on, then gave a huff of amusement. Daichi figured it was because his brother thought that his avocation was simply that: a hobby. Changing the subject even though neither had been saying anything, he asked, “Are you glad that you’re gonna get more space?”

Focused on his work, Daichi answered back with a simple, “I guess so.”

Trying to initiate further conversation, the older Sawamura asked, “Gonna help me move or what?” Ruffling the other’s cinnamon hair.

Daichi jokingly dodged, but went straight back to work, answering with a simple, “Sure.”

His brother decided that it was pointless to try to get anything else out of him, so he walked off. Scrambling, Daichi remembered something. Pulling a sheet of paper out of his pocket, he waved it around before he could get any words out.

His brother turned and smirked. “Come on, Daichi. Remember your words,” he coaxed.

Sure enough, the words tumbled out, “What do you think about this?”  
As he took the paper, his brother joked, “What? A crappy drawing Noya made again?”

Though it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, Daichi still shook his head. He stared intently as the older regarded it. He then scratched his head, “What is it, a haiku?”  
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s a tanka.”

“Pft, sure. Listen, just ask Mom when she gets home; she’d be more of a help than I would ever be,” he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Daichi hummed in consideration, still staring at the poem. Shrugging, he turned towards his progress again and tried not to think any more of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been noticing that some of the previous chapters aren't as accurate as this one might have been. I'll try to be better about because I actually watched a portion of it to get information correct :P  
> As always, feel free to leave comments or whatever.


	5. Who Am I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Daichi can finally put a name to the beautiful, starry-eyed face that's been haunting his mind.

This was strange. His boy was usually early or showed up a little less than ten minutes later. Daichi frowned unintentionally, squinting to see if he might catch a glimpse of the mystifying other. He couldn’t focus either. He turned back to his drawings and saw that the sketch of the shoe didn’t quite meld around the 2-D foot. In frustration, he scribbled it out with his pencil, flipping to a fresh page.

His anger soon seeped out of him when he found that he was successfully drawing a shirt clinging to an indistinct torso. Using only the various shades of graphite his pencil offered him, he was doing an alright job at showing the patterns upon the shirt. Unbeknownst to him, a familiar pair of shoe-clad feet were clopping their way over to the gazebo.

With a heated gush of, “Is that a volleyball shirt?” Daichi accidentally broke the tip of the pencil whilst slamming his hand upon the paper. Sitting straight up, he barked, “Good morning!” out of fear and instinct.

A heavenly laugh responded, but continued to purr into his ear, “That’s an amazing design. I play volleyball, you know.”

Flipping the book closed in a hurry, Daichi stammered, “That’s interesting, I play too.” No other words were forming in his mind except for, ‘Oh my god, he saw, he saw, he saw, he s-‘

Looking up, he noticed that the hazel-eyed had floated his way to the opposite seat of the gazebo, and asked innocently, “Why don’t you show me more of your sketches? I’m sorry that I startled you, by the way.”

Daichi shook his head, willing the blush on his face to fade, “It’s fine; don’t worry about it. And they’re not really impressive anyway. Much too boring for someone like you.”

Raising his brows, the boy quizzed, “Someone like me?”

  
The blush was doing the opposite of what Daichi wanted, and burned itself upon his tan face. “Well, I only meant that you seem like a person who already has their life figured out. That childish dreams strike you as amusing.”

The boy gave him a blank look for a moment, then tilted his head back in a tittering laugh. Daichi stared at him confused, wondering as to why this aroused such humor from the boy. Forcing the laughter back down his lungs, he stammered, “I’m still in high school.”

Daichi was neither surprised, nor suspecting, and his face read as much. Snapping into realization, he nearly screamed, “What high school do you go to? I might know you!”

Snapping open a beer, which brought another thing to Daichi’s attention, the other tilted it towards his direction, then said in a mocking tone, “If you knew me, you would’ve put a name to me by now,” and then took a long sip from it.

Straightening himself, Daichi then asked, “Well then what _is_ your name?”

Peering over the top of the can, the boy stared with intensity, “Rude to ask my name and not offer yours, don’t you think?”  
The flush appeared upon Daichi’s cheeks again as he apologized. “I’m Sawamura Daichi, but feel free to call me Daichi.”

“Noted,” the other boy smiled. Before Daichi could retort with the topic of names again, the simple character rebounded with an effortless, “You mentioned you play volleyball; what position do you play?”

  
Holding his chin up, Daichi proudly stated, “Wing Spiker. Also captain of the team.”

“Wow, look at you! I bet the girls fawn over a jock like you, huh?” He asked innocently.

Scratching the back of his neck, Sawamura slurred sheepishly, “Not really. My friends are too scary, or so I’ve been told.”

The boy laughed again, this time, with Dai. Remembering a question from before, Daichi narrowed his eyes and asked of the other, “Are you getting the beer illegally?”

Fishing around in his back pocket, the other shook his head. Retrieving something, he snapped an official-looking paper out if its folds and said, “Doctor’s orders,” before shoving it back in his pocket again.

While this left Daichi puzzled, he decided to leave it be. That was personal business, no matter how strange it seemed for a health professional to recommend alcohol to an underage person. Pulling out his breakfast from his schoolbag, he received a question, “Didn’t eat this morning?”

Glancing over at the other boy, he noticed that he had been pulling out some food as well. Sawamura quipped, “Seems like you haven’t either.”

He smiled a genuine smile, then replied, “Sometimes you just have places to be, y’know?”

  
Daichi smiled wryly, “Yeah, I do.” Remembering his manners, Sawamura gestured the box towards his boy, offering, “Would you like any?”

In a rueful manner, the boy said, “I’m supposed to say ‘Only if you have some of mine,’ but honestly, my food is terrible.”

  
Daichi laughed, jokingly leaning towards the bento box and insisting, “Come on, I want some now!”

The boy’s face paled and he tried to hide the food, yelling, “No, no, no! You won’t want any! Trust me!”

To the second’s avail, Daichi managed to grab something, and popped it in his mouth. For a moment, he didn’t know what to think, the sensations overwhelmed him. Then his face cringed at the strange crunch, and overflow of seasoning.

The boy winced, “I’m sorry, but it’s your own fault,” as he apologetically offered him some water that he was lucky enough to have with him.

After taking a few frantic gulps, Daichi thought nothing of it, and said, “No, I actually liked it. It was just cooked a lot differently than I’ve ever had it. But I think it’s unique.”

  
The boy smirked, “Don’t patronize me.” This had Daichi’s heart fluttering for a brief moment, but it was because of the flirtatious manner he was speaking in. He wasn’t greeted by many flirts in his life, so it was definitely that and not the fact that the boy looked absolutely delicious in a smirk.

Shrugging, Daichi commented, “It’s only fair if I offer you some of my food now. Go ahead, it’s probably not the greatest thing either.”

The boy’s face paled, but he tried to shrug it off by saying, “Sure,” which was out of character. Even for the few times they had spoken, Daichi knew that much.

The boy hesitantly reached for a bite, then placed it in his mouth and bit down as if mechanically. His eyes widened as he stared at the floor, and he froze for a moment. Then he chewed excitedly, his eyes watering and a big, tight-lipped smile seized his beautiful face. His hazel eyes flickered back and forth across the wooden floor, and when he swallowed, he gave a little chuckle.

Meeting Daichi’s wondrous, dark-cedar eyes with a kind of submissiveness, as if he were dealing away his soul, the boy sighed, “Suga. My name is Sugawara Koushi.”


	6. From His View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sugawara Koushi realizes that there is more to life than being a petty slave unto society. He knows it with a burning passion. Unbeknownst to Daichi, it was all thanks to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suga's pov

Though he had done nothing that day, Sugawara Koushi found himself drained when he flopped on his bed at home. Most of the time it was because the little self-esteem he owned was easily depleted. This time it was…he didn’t even know. It was like a little ray of light had been born and he was doing his best to keep it aflame.

Suga sighed, half-hoping he would hear a greeting that someone was home. But, of course, nothing happened as the afternoon gave way to the evening. He did nothing but lay on his bed, hoping with a desperate passion that somebody would walk into the room to ask if anything was wrong, and come hold him.

Nobody came.

But that was because he lived alone. He moved out of his neglecting family’s home ages ago, and prayed that his ex would never realize how pointless it was to keep paying for Suga’s rent. Suga had also quit his job, as well as going to school after falling into a hellhole of depression.

He wasn’t sure why he felt this way. Perhaps it was because he had never been truly adored. Maybe it was because he had been rejected time and time again. All he knew was that this little bit of happiness was unexpected and exciting, and he knew to treasure it with all his might.

Just thinking about it brought a grin to his face, and he began giggling like a little school girl. An idea flooded his mind not a moment later, and he hopped off the bed, stumbling his way to the desk across the room to reach for his cell phone. Dialing a number that had become muscle memory to him, he pulled the phone to his ear both hesitantly and excitedly.

Out of the sound of a large party (with many whoops and cheers in the background) rose a garbled, “Hello?”

“Oikawa-san,” Suga breathed into the phone.

“Koushi? Hang on, give me a minute,” there was fumbling for space as well as a few “excuse me”s, then there was, “You know, you’re still allowed to call me Tooru.”

Suga muttered something incoherent, then said in a rushed tone, “Oikawa, I tasted food today. Real actual _food_.”

“Wait seriously? About damn time. Wait, what was it? Describe it to me.”

“Mochi. It was like a grain flavor-which is what rice tastes like, I think- but it was condensed, and very sweet.” As an after-thought, he added, “Was that right?”

There was a silence, save for the party noises, and then, “Huh. Yeah, that’s exactly how I would describe it.”

Suga beamed, giggling a little bit. He tried to muffle it, but the airy jubilation bounded across the still room in huge leaps.

Suga could hear the smile in Oikawa’s voice as he said, “Boy, I haven’t heard that in a while. Not like I’ve deserved it, though. Anyway, it seems that quitting school for a while has really helped.”

Still giddy from his first laugh in a long time, Suga chuckled, “Yeah…I’m really grateful to you, by the way.”

He could tell that Tooru was shrugging when he said, “Eh, it was the least I could do after giving you such a shitty break-up.”

Suga hummed in reply, fingering the edge of his shirt as he thought about Daichi, to whom the ray of sunshine belonged. He was showing this precious boy what it meant to be living among people of good. With love in their hearts and sentimental minds to be courteous towards. Sawamura might’ve been seen as tentative towards most people, but to Suga, he was the boldest man he’d ever met.

Different from Oikawa, though. Oikawa _knew_ how special he was. In fact, anyone could tell by the way his chin was set higher than others, in his long stride. They could tell in the way that he carried his body like he knew exactly how it functioned. Tooru was a man of vanity, and, to Suga’s understanding, only dated him to get approval from the crowds.

That is the worst thing to use someone for.

So Sugawara knew for certain that this ray of sunshine wasn’t because he was simply getting over his depression. He knew it wasn’t because of the random stranger that had let him by on the train earlier. Hell, it definitely wasn’t for the egotistical bastard who still supported him because of public acceptance.

Hearing a metallic, “Koushi?” on the other end of the line, Suga was snapped out of his thoughts, remembering his purpose.

“Hmm?”

“You okay?”

He was more than okay. He was ready to get his life back together. Sugawara Koushi hadn’t felt happiness like this in such a long time that he lusted after it now. He craved it with every fiber of his being. And he realized that he could only do it through himself. Only if he could figure out how to fix his shitty life. He owed it to Daichi.

“I don’t need your money anymore. I’m getting a job _tomorrow_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that this is a shitty chapter and I'm sorry. It was rushed and it's short and dear god spare me. I'm too young to die  
> sorry,  
> Scout


	7. Help Me, I Need To Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are brightening up for Daichi just as much as they are for Suga, but the worst part is, the rainy season is almost over.

Suga woke up with an ache all throughout his body. Since the summer had rolled around, he figured that a lawn service would be the most logical source of pay, knowing full well that only rich people had lawns, making for a nice income. The sun had cooked his skin, leaving his pale skin just a little less pale and lifting heavy bags of soil bringing about a way to strengthen his scrawny arms.

And he loved it. It made him feel less weak and more capable.

However, the morning had brought about an unexpected forecast for July. With stormy thunderclouds rumbling their complaints and rain pouring down its inconvenience, Koushi’s first thought was…well…Daichi. Strong, capable Daichi. The man who knew no bad thoughts. The man who was just gorgeous in every way, shape, and-

Shit.

That was the second thought. Behind that word were thoughts of, how was he going to get to work today? Was there work at all today? Was there some way he would still be able to see Daichi Sawamura? Calling up the number that his manager had given him, he waited a few rings before a static voice crinkled to life, “Ittetsu Takeda speaking.”

Suga cleared his voice, determined to answer in a broad voice instead of the meek one he was usually occupying. “Takeda-san, this is Sugawara, you’re newest employee?”

There was a pause, and then, “Ah, yes, Suga! What can I help you with?”

  
“Well I was wondering, with the unexpected weather and all, is work still on for today?”

There was a chuckle, and then “Normally, we would have you come in anyway, but today was supposed to be spent on draining over-flowing ponds, so I’m afraid not. Don’t worry though, this doesn’t affect your paycheck.”

“Okay, thank you so much. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, sir.”

“No problem, thanks for checking in.”

With that, Suga hobbled out of bed, yanking on clothes as fast as he could.

~~~

 Daichi Sawamura was elated to see the rain this Wednesday morning. It had been so long since he’d seen Suga, and he definitely was not going crazy with flashbacks of the intimate confession regarding the mystifying boy’s name. He was also definitely not repeating the name like a song over and over again.

Daichi lazily swung his bag full of sketch designs and school stuff over his shoulder, being sure that some form of breakfast was in there in case Suga wanted any. The way his face contorted into breath-taking wonder after eating a simple bite of a not-too good meal often occupied his thoughts. Was his food really good or was Suga just so naïve to many things such as common food? Probably the latter, and he chose not to think about the next row of questions that popped up.

Surely enough, when Daichi took the same path, hardened with years of mud and growing life, Daichi found that his object of speculation was there. The alluring Sugawara Koushi.

With his fly-away, ash-like hair, single mole under his left eye, charming smile, and…slightly less pale skin, Suga straightened up, sensing that he had company. Daichi took a deep breath, then hopped over the over-flowing creek with confidence, striding up to the gazebo. Clipping his umbrella closed, he noticed that Suga was perched on the seat with both feet tucked under him, bouncing him up and down with a giddy smile on his face.

Daichi gave a half-smile, “Something’s gotten into you lately.”

A dramatic pause, and then, “I have something for you,” as the boy reached into his bag filled with the poisonous drink and leftover wrappers of sugar-infested cocoa.

Daichi seated himself, and found that he too, was on the edge of his seat. Why on earth would Suga have something to give him? He hadn’t done anything in return. At least not as far as he knew.

Pulling the object out, the boy revealed a hard-cover book, bound by material that definitely wasn’t easy to buy. Suga waved it in front of him eagerly, prompting him to accept it.

As Daichi took it, he read the title, _“A Beginner’s Guide to Sportswear.”_ Daichi spluttered, flipping through it to check that it was, indeed, the book he’d been pining after ever since he could remember. And there was a _reason_ he’d longed for it that amount of time.

“Th-this is not cheap!” Daichi stuttered, flipping through the book with amazement and horror.

Leaning back into the bench, Suga stated profoundly, “I know,” while smoothing his hands across the crease in his pants suavely.

Daichi knew it was a lead on to something more, and the color drained from his face when he was certain that the boy would ask for money back. Sawamura had none with him.

Tilting his chin up, the boy promised, “It’s all yours if you can tell me, and show me, more of your designs.”

Uncertain at first, Daichi pulled his sketchbook out slowly, as if he were calculating his next moves. Koushi was absolutely elated, and a shy smile overtook Daichi’s face. He just couldn’t turn down that precious face.

And so, Daichi explained with a passion all about what he wanted to become when he grew older. He expected Suga to mock him, even laugh at him, but he took in everything with a keen interest, wanting to know more and more about the other. Daichi noticed that the more he spoke, the closer Suga inched towards him, eventually leaning against him to “understand at the notebook better”.

Suga beamed up at him and asked, “So what got you into this?”

Daichi scratched the back of his neck, “Um, let’s see…Well my mom was a model when I was younger, and then I got into volleyball around middle school, so I guess it just kind of happened. I was interested in why some companies were better than other companies if they still used the same material and stuff like that. Also how that ties into how it effects a player’s game. I don’t know, really.”

Suga nodded, taking it all in, and then flipped a page to an outline of kneepads with actual numbers jotted alongside. “What about these? Are you actually making a pair?”

Daichi closed the book with a huff, and stated, “Well, I’m attempting to make a pair for myself, just for practice, you know, but I can’t get the measurements right. It’s probably because I can’t get an accurate measurement of myself; it’s too difficult.”

There was a pause, in which Suga stared at his hands, then he quietly suggested, “You know, if you would like, you can use me as a reference. I wouldn’t mind.”

Daichi hesitated, “Wait, really?”

Suga nodded, looking up into Daichi’s eyes, the shade of sunlight shining through whiskey. He gave a small smile.

As Daichi fished around for measuring utensils in his bag, as Suga rolled up his pants a little over his knees, suddenly not knowing what to do with his hands. Daichi sat on his knees upon the pavement, gingerly taking hold of Suga’s ankle. Looking up at Suga to see if this was making him feel just as flustered as Daichi, Suga had a shade of pink dusted on his cheeks, but shrugged it off as Daichi draped his leg over his shoulder so that he may wrap the tape measurement around the knee cap and back of the knee.

Dai’s hands were trembling and he forced himself to steady his hands. This was for his future, nothing more. It was just for reference. It was just for an idea. That’s all it was. It wasn’t to speculate how long and beautiful Suga’s legs were or anything. As if to bite back his unspoken words, Daichi held the tape measurer in his mouth as he jotted down his recordings.

Sawamura spectated from every ankle, even going as far as determining the length from Koushi’s knee to mid-calf just in case he needed to make the support longer. Suga was patient, and made small talk as Daichi went about his work, but no matter how hard they tried to make it seem professional it just seemed…amorous.

Trying to shake the feeling off of his shoulders, he glanced at his phone to check the time and found that his next class period would start within ten minutes. “Shit,” Daichi mumbled, as the pencil he had held between his lips tumbled forward.

“What’s wrong?” Suga asked, looking alarmed, as if he had done something wrong.

“My next class is going to start soon, I’d better be going,” Sawamura said hurriedly as he stuffed miscellaneous objects within his backpack.

“I’m sorry!” Suga cried as he helped Daichi with his packing process, “I didn’t mean to take up that much of your time!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Daichi waved away, “After all, I was the one who brought it up.”

Flustered, they both stood up, and gazed at each other for a moment, intensity laced in between. Daichi held out a bento box, and Suga accepted it without a second thought. Only when Daichi began to walk away, did Suga say, “Hang on a second, this is yours!”

Daichi turned around and offered a small smile, “I know you like my food.” He then took off at a steady jog, leaving Suga feeling more cared for than he ever had.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hip hip hooray for long chapters, am I right? And god bless for many much touchy-feels, ;)  
> Any comments or kudos are much appreciated,  
> Scout


	8. Don't Screw It Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi finally takes initiative and demands some kind of history from Suga.

Something was bothering Daichi to the point of insanity. He’d run through every encounter he’d ever had with Koushi, and in every single one of them, he felt he’d learned nothing. He forced himself to calm down and review the things he did know.

  1. Suga was a high school student. He didn’t know what grade or even what school he went to, but he was in high school.
  2. Suga carried around beer and chocolate on doctor’s orders. What kind of sickness required that? He wasn’t exactly sure but
  3. He did know Suga (kind of) liked his food. He always asked very politely for some of Daichi’s food and never touched any of his own, regardless of how mediocre his cooking was.
  4. Suga used to or does play volleyball. If Suga was currently playing volleyball at his school, then Daichi would know him, but since he wasn’t sure if it was “used to” or “does”, he couldn’t decide if they went to the same school.



The most aggravating thing wasn’t that Daichi knew next to nothing about his infatuation, it was that his other must’ve known everything about him. Daichi talked for hours about his dreams of becoming a clothing designer, even discussing how competition worked in the sports department. They talked endlessly about his volleyball team; Asahi as the ace, Noya as the libero, Tanaka as a wing-spiker, et cetera.

As he lay in his bed, he dragged a calloused hand over his face, in hopes to wipe the sleep off so that he could rant to himself just a little longer. He glanced over at the clock that read in electrifying, red digits _2:46 AM._ He groaned, and even though he knew he should get some rest (and his body was screaming at him to do so), his mind just would not shut up.

Groping for his phone on the not-so-far nightstand, he snatched his phone up, yanking it from its charging plug. It chirped two notes, alerting him that he had, indeed, unplugged it. However tiny those two little sounds may have been, it sounded like a scream in his bedroom, and he ducked under the covers in fear of alerting his mom to his late-night texting

Counting to one hundred multiple times, he finally got the courage to peek over the sheets, allowing a bright light to blind him. Fumbling for words in the deep recesses of his mind, he managed to type out:

Me _> Dude, I can’t sleep._

He knew that Asahi was a deep sleeper, so he wasn’t expecting a reply back. However, the minute he went to check his Instagram, his phone chirped out a new text message. Hurriedly setting his phone to silent, he went to see what it said.

               Asahi > _Is it because of the thing you won’t tell us about?_

He frowned at the screen. Me > _I don’t remember u being so bold in person_

               Asahi > _O no, I’m sorry! Just tell me when ur ready_

Me > _It’s about the guy in the park_

               Asahi > _finally. u have someone 2 obsess over besides my character_

Me > _i never asked 4 any sass_

Me > _anyway, have u ever heard of a guy named Suga?_

               Asahi > _u need 2 be a little more specific than that_

Me > _Sugawara Koushi. gray hair. brown eyes. my height_

               Asahi > _that guy?_

               Asahi > _yeah, he works with me_

Daichi scrambled into a sitting position, getting tangled within his blankets in the process. He reread the sentence over again. Did Asahi even have a job? He’d certainly never heard of him getting one.

Me > _where?_

               Asahi > _this yardwork company. It’s just part time._

Daichi was getting excited. He bit into one knuckle to try and hide the grin spreading across his face. Me > _do u know anything about him???_

               Asahi > _Jesus, u sound like a stalker_

               Asahi > _but he’s kinda like an animal. gets super anxious before rainy days._

Daichi paused for a moment, considering. Was he anxious about the weather in general, or was it because he wanted to see Daichi just as much as Daichi wanted to see him? In any case, Daichi replied. Me > _what’s the weather like tom._

               Asahi > _HANG ON_

               Asahi > _DO YOU PLAN TO MEET EACH OTHER LIKE THIS_

               Asahi > _IS THAT WHY YOU’RE ALWAYS GONE IN THE MORNING_

Me > _don’t be intrusive_

Me > _just answer the question_

               Asahi > _fine, fine_

               Asahi > _and yeah, I’m pretty sure it is gonna rain_

Daichi released a sigh of relief. He was going to see him. He was going to see the beautiful boy with curious eyes and breath-taking smiles. And tomorrow, he was going to take initiative and get something out of Suga, for once. Deciding he had all the information he needed for now, Daichi decided to let Asahi sleep.

Me > _thx_

Me > _gonna try 2 get sleep now_

               _Asahi read your text at 3:08 AM._

Plugging his phone back in, Daichi finally found some peace of mind. He curled into his bed sheets like a crow in a nest, and fell into a deep sleep.

~~~

As sure as the sun, rain found its way into the city that morning, and awoke Daichi with its gentle rapping against the window. In a determined haze, he, as usual, slung his bag over his shoulder and headed off to the park with the umbrella in hand.

He didn’t even bother sidestepping puddles this time, even though he should be more careful with his uniform. He knew why he was upset but he failed to see why it created such a big impact on him. _Why do I care?_ He thought _. He’s just some beautiful idiot…_

Punctual as always, there he was. This time, he was expectantly waiting for Daichi. He knew by the way his body was turned towards the brush, as if he had been checking constantly if someone decided to show up.

By the time Daichi walked up to him, Suga had set his book onto his lap again. Suga motioned for Daichi to take a seat, but Daichi merely dropped his stuff on the bench. A stern authority laced his features as he calmly asked, “What high school do you go to?”

Suga looked taken aback, as if wondering why that of all questions. He threw a stunning smile, “Why does it matter?”

Daichi crossed his arms over his chest, “Do you go to school?”

Suga looked speechless again, “Of course I-”

Daichi squinted and before Suga even finished his sentence, he interrogated, “I bet you stopped going to school. Why?”

Suga now looked puzzled, and a faint blush began creeping upon his face. “Listen, I just-”

“Did you have to stop going to school for some reason?”

Suga’s face was now becoming hardened, and he said in a voice clear as day, “You should know not to pry on people’s personal lives.”

Daichi was taken aback, and his voice softened, “No, no, I’m sorry. Forgive me. I just want to know if you’re alright, since you never say a peep about yourself.”

Suga sputtered, and then laughed, light and airy. He wiped a tear of hysterics away and said, “Why, isn’t that the most wonderful way to flirt? Christ, I should take classes from you!”

Daichi felt his cheeks and neck flush intensely, and he began to defend himself, but threw it all away when he began to laugh.

He sat down and they began to talk like always. This time, there was more to talk about, and there was sharing of food, as well as a few extra measurements taken from Suga’s kneecaps and such.

“How on earth is he still in employment?” Daichi teased, laughing with Suga.

Sugawara sighed, “I have no idea. I guess he just moves around a lot; you know?” Using his hands to elaborate, Suga went on, “He’s just this little, orange ball of energy, so I guess it seems like he’s doing a lot of work. Anyway, at least there’s Kageyama to keep him in check. Lord knows that if they weren’t both employed, no work would get done between those two!”

Daichi rolled his tape measurer up again, emitting a small chuckle. “They sound great,” he finally said. As an afterthought, he asked, “Do you know Asahi? Azumane?”

Suga twisted his pink lips and his eyes rolled skyward as he thought. Something finally clicked and he said, “Oh yes, I do! Yeah, he’s a sweet guy, not much self-confidence there, though,” he clucked his tongue in pity.

“That’s what I always tell him. He’s the most feared guy at our school, I guess because of his height or whatever, but he needs more reassurance than a Kindergartener.”

Bringing the beer can to his lips, the other asked, “He’s your ace, right? Are you two close?"

Daichi leaned back, “Yeah, we grew up together, but I guess even time can’t change someone.”

They sat in silence for a moment. A comfortable one, mind you, but a silence nonetheless.

“Daichi-kun,” Suga hummed while staring at the can he was picking at.

Daichi turned his face towards him, raising a brow.

“Could I have your number? I really appreciate your company and I just thought…”

“Of course!” Daichi wailed. Turning red again, he coughed, and repeated, “Sorry, I meant, ‘of course.’”

Suga smiled and they did as they had said they would. Once Daichi had all of his supplies packed up again, he stood up, staring down at Koushi. The seemingly smaller boy looked at the broader with longing, as if he were willing to give his soul in that moment.

Daichi wasn’t really sure what was happening. He just sort of knew that he was moving towards Suga while his mind was malfunctioning and sending many warning signals. But it was going to be worth it. Suga looked like a deer caught in headlights and for some reason, it looked beautiful. Daichi thrust one hand onto the bench seat behind Suga to catch himself as the other gently grazed his arm. 

He gave a small smile, then took a nerve-rattling kiss from Suga.

For a moment, Suga was stiff under him, with a pursed mouth, and oh god he could just tell that his eyes were still open. Suddenly, that changed, and Suga bent into the kiss. Contrary to Daichi’s belief, Suga’s lips were not soft, but just a little chapped. That was perfectly fine though, because it made Suga, Suga. He tasted like bitter beer, and suave chocolate, and realizing what he was doing made Daichi flush as red as a tomato.

He was just so goddamn happy, and Sawamura felt like he could continue for eternity. However, he desperately needed to breathe, so he broke off from Suga. He smiled, gazing lovingly into Suga’s hazelnut eyes. Suga looked a little star-struck and before anything could be said between them, Daichi felt a raw fist connect with his cheek that swung his head backwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know it's a bit off canon, but don't worry, I promise I know what I'm doing (kind of)  
> Till Sunday,  
> Scout


	9. I'll Redeem Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though Daichi's been through a lot, both physically and mentally, by Suga, he knows that Suga deserves a little respect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> I'm really thankful for everyone who's been following this story since the beginning and I've decided that this is my second-to-last chapter on this story. But as usual, enjoy!  
> Scout

Daichi shuffled down the hall as fast as he could, keeping his eyes to the floor and running his tongue over the spot on the inside of his cheek where it had smashed into his teeth, causing blood to be drawn. Swinging a door open, he walked into the bathroom and finally lifted his gaze to meet the battered, once-handsome, person in the mirror.

Daichi was a tall, broad boy with confidence in everything he did. His jaw was strong, his skin tan, and his brown eyes inviting. Spiky, black hair accompanied his flawless skin, and there was an overall familial type of aura to him. The Daichi in the mirror matched nothing that he had ever known.

One cheek was blotched red where a seemingly weak fist had connected powerfully. The eye above said cheek was almost swollen closed by blue and purple skin. A few dots of blood leaked from the edge of his mouth, and he moved to wipe it away tenderly. The man before him was no longer confident, but a fallen spirit. Scratches littered his face from coming into many branches on his way to meet-

He couldn’t even think it. He couldn’t think that name anymore. Of course, the hit to his face and pride had not deterred him from his feelings towards Koushi, but it stung. He bent down to splash water on his face and gargle some down his throat. After wiping it off, he pulled out his phone and checked for any new messages.

After seeing that there were no apologies from a certain person, he swiped the lock screen open and hovered his fingers over a fresh keyboard, wondering if he were to say something. He decided that he would, trying to be the bigger man.

Me > _this is Sawamura. that was wrong of me earlier. im sorry. ill be there tomorrow morning regardless of the weather_

Before he could change his mind, he sent the text, taking a deep breath. Thrumming his fingers upon the sink, he tried to get himself into the mindset of school. Next class he had Geography, which he was pretty certain there was a test on. If he got to class early, maybe he could look over his notes. But if that happened, Noya would be there to pester him with questions, and he didn’t want to talk about it as of the moment. He decided he would make it to class just before the bell rang and pray that some kind of review would be taking place before the test.

Amidst his thoughts, the sound of the school bell rang, and he made his way to his locker to grab his stuff. Upon taking his needed material, he chose the longest route to his classroom, walking at a pace that pissed off several people behind him who were struggling to make it to their classes early.

He entered the classroom just a beat before the bell rang, and promptly took his seat next to the window. After his teacher took attendance, he glanced around the room per usual, and made the mistake of making eye-contact with Yuu. His bright, excited eyes danced about as he mouthed, “What happened to you?”

Daichi looked away, shame shrouding him like fog. He hung his head as a dog might hide their tail between their legs, and lifted his head only as high as it needed to be to be considered “paying attention”.

Several times during the review (thank god), he noticed out of his peripheral vision that Noya was desperately attempting to get Daichi’s attention. Daichi kept his good eye on his teacher, ignoring every motion that was made to swing his head around. Thankfully, the test was passed out, and the boy was too focused on not failing the exam that he forgot about Nishinoya for the rest of class.

~~~

In a panic, Daichi scribbled an answer down in response to the bell. He ran up to his teacher’s desk, slapped it on the table, then rushed out of the room, his teacher scolding him for running through the halls. His eyes scanned everything in a wild haze, doing his best not to knock people out of the way. He heard Noya calling his name several feet behind him, but he prayed, for once, that Yuu’s height would keep him from finding Sawamura.

Just as he was turning into the hallway that held his locker, a blonde girl timidly shoved her way past him, a bright smile on her face, and eyes filled with excitement. He turned, wondering why on earth someone would look this happy on a Monday.

She hurriedly went up to a turned figure, tugging on their sleeve, and shouting expectantly at him. A tall, lanky boy with ice-blue eyes joined her, a slight smile tugging at his mouth as he called to the other as well. The person’s face turned towards them, and he could just make out a dark beauty mark under their left eye. He was shocked.

All he could do was stare. Not because of the fact that Koushi looked startlingly good in a school uniform, but because he went to _this_ school? This one of all places? Had he never been paying attention or was he just ignorant? At any rate, Daichi remained stone still in the hallway, gaping at Suga.

Eventually, the girl whispered to Suga timidly, motioning towards Daichi. Suga turned, smile still on his face, but paled and vanished at the sight of Daichi. The larger of the two took a hesitant step backwards, but could not keep his eyes off Suga.

As he was backing out of the corner in which he had forced himself into, he heard a faint, “Daichi-saaaaan!!!”

His eyes went wide with terror as they finally broke off from Suga’s whiskey-colored ones, and he tore off down the hallway. People shouted obscenities at him as he hooked his fingers onto the holes in his locker so that he could stop his momentum. He twirled the combination until the locker popped open, and he took his books out in a hurry, then rushed off to his next class, in which Kiyoko was also in.

But that was okay, Kiyoko always understood. She never asked questions if you didn’t want to talk, and she always respected people’s privacy. It would be okay. This one class would be fine. There was nothing to worry about. As he ran into said classroom, Kiyoko visibly winced at Daichi’s panting self.

He slid into the seat next to her, and asked, “How am I going to keep this from the guys?”

“It’s not so bad,” she said, already placing a Band-Aid on the corner of his mouth. “Your eye isn’t even that swollen. It should be gone in a week; but, I have makeup if you’re that concerned about it.”

Daichi released a much-needed laugh, “No, I’m good. Thanks, though.”

She gave a small smile and pat his shoulder for reassurance. As they worked through their experiment on chemical equilibrium, he could tell that her patience was wearing thin. Kiyoko wasn’t the type of person to explode when she lost her temper, but you would definitely feel guilty afterwards, so Daichi just came right out with it, “You know the guy in the park? He did it.”

She nodded, then asked, “What did you ever do to him?” Her nose twitching just a bit, as it always did when she was confused.

He laughed, “I kissed him.”

Shimizu smiled at him, “I bet it was worth it.”

With a wry smile, he replied, “Yeah, it was.” As an afterthought, he added, “He goes to our school, by the way. Ever heard of Sugawara Koushi?”

She looked on the verge of laughter, “You’ve never heard of the rumor?”

Daichi was confused, “What? No.”

She looked up in thought, “This one boy…Kenma? Anyway, he went to ask out Suga, to which he replied yes. Poor guy didn’t even do anything wrong. Didn’t even know Kenma was dating this other guy. The point is, the other guy got mad and started calling Suga a boy-whore and things; got his friends in on it, too. Kenma was dumped by both of them and transferred, but Suga didn’t show up to school until recently.” She shrugged as if to say, “But I’m not really sure.”

Daichi was utterly horrified, “Do you know what his name was?”

She looked at him with a blank stare, “I actually don’t know. Then again, I’ve never been good with names.”

~~~

Kuroo Tetsurou. That was his name.

He’d found out at lunch when he was no longer ashamed of his swollen cheek or black eye. Tanaka had told him as if it was plain as day. Daichi knew it wouldn’t change a lot between Suga and him, but Sugawara deserved to know what it felt like to have people stand up for you. He deserved to know what that kind of respect was.

Tanaka had also told him which class they belonged to and every detail that belonged to that story. Daichi had thanked him, and had then gone storming down the stairs. He burst through the door and saw a group in the corner. Several heads turned and he made his way towards them.

He hadn’t felt any nerves until now, but he swallowed it down. He was now faced by a man who was only a couple of inches taller than he, with nasty, greased, black hair, and a sickening smile.

Daichi looked him in the eye and asked with an unwavering voice, “Are you Tetsurou Kuroo?”

The taller raised a brow questioningly, and replied, “I am.” While one of his friends looked down on Daichi with an owlish look and a dark, another curly-haired boy crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

Dai took a breath, “Sugawara’s back to school.”

Kuroo’s look went dark and the others began huffing in disgust. “Like I care what happens to him. He’s just a gay faggot.”

Daichi challenged, “And you’re not?”

“Hey now,” said the boy with salt-and-pepper hair and owlish eyes, “I think he might have actually fallen for the slut.”

Anger flashed across Daichi’s face as he sent an uppercut towards his chin, making him fall backwards in unconsciousness. A girl gasped and rushed to his side, spitting on Daichi’s shoes in the process.

Kuroo fisted Daichi’s shirt, then picked him off the floor, growling menacingly, “Beat it, kid. Nobody hurts that idiot without consequences.”

“Consequences my ass,” Daichi muttered, kneeing him in the groin.

Kuroo seethed, dropping the third-year and stumbling backwards. He sucked in a deep breath, then charged at Sawamura, picking him up by the waist and flinging him into a desk. The others gasped, wondering if they should stop Kuroo.

Daichi caught himself and sprang up, guarding his face with his left forearm and landing a solid punch with his right. Kuroo launched himself at him, hiking the boy on his shoulder then throwing him out the door. Daichi sputtered, coughing on the ground when Kuroo stomped on his stomach. “That was just a greeting. Don’t come back.”

Daichi tried pulling himself up, but couldn’t. Upon seeing this, Kuroo was satisfied, and promptly entered the room again to tend to his friend. Still on the floor, Daichi took shallow breaths, curling into a ball and trying to lengthen his breathing patterns. In through the nose, out through the mouth. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

He choked back a sob, instead focusing on where all he had been hit. Slowly, he sprawled out his limbs, testing to see if any felt like they were on fire from a fracture. To his relief, there were only aches, pains, and a little blood. He pushed himself into a sitting position, grimacing. He then felt a smooth hand grab his wrist and pull him upright.

And suddenly, there was the blonde girl from earlier. Daichi was confused, wasn’t she suspicious of him before? She smiled reassuringly and promised, “Suga told me to watch out for you. I’ll get you to the nurse.”

Saying a polite thank you, Daichi accepted the help.


	10. Goodbye Stranger, It's Been Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a lot of built up tension between them for the past few weeks, Daichi and Suga finally figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, this is my last chapter and I'm super thankful to everyone who's read it. It was a fun project and I really enjoyed writing it. Without further ado, here's the last chapter!  
> (ps, yes the title is "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp)

Soft light kissed his face and shrouded the rest in shadows, giving him a glowing, angelic look. As far as Daichi was concerned, the ambient lightning that mixed with his wide, innocent eyes gave him the sense of an angel who had fallen from heaven.

Daichi hadn’t bothered bringing an umbrella, so he stood drenched by rain, and did nothing about it. Sawamura didn’t know what to think of him anymore. Should he just respect that Koushi didn’t want something like that in his life and move on, or ignore it and listen to the terrible choices his mind kept deciding upon? It didn’t matter, in the end, because his conscious had already made a stupid decision.

Dai looked at Suga with a stern face, almost indifferent to him, while Suga sat there, pristine as ever. Turning his head with a sigh, he murmured just above the noise of the rain’s dance,

 

_“A faint clap of thunder,_

_Even if rain comes not,_

_I will stay here,_

_Together, with you”_

 

The other boy gave a soft smile, pulling himself to his feet. Eyes full of emotion and understanding, Suga whispered, “You figured it out.”

Daichi nodded at the ground, allowing the rain to chill his bones. He suddenly felt the urge to protect himself from such intimacy, so he crossed his arms over his chest, digging his elbows into his ribs. “It was, uh, in the English textbook…you know, at our school.”

Suga’s eyebrows drew together in the middle in concern and he begged, “I’m sorry. I really am. I just-I didn’t know what I was thinking, it just happened, and I wasn’t sure what to do, and,” he trailed off, hoping that Sawamura would interrupt him, but he didn’t.

He tried again, “Thank you for,” he tried waving his hands around in elaboration.

Daichi nodded in understanding, knowing what he was thanking him for. Daichi took a look, a _good_ look, at Suga and huffed in endearment. Suga had jean shorts covered in mud and fertilizer on, as well as a tank-top (which revealed his horrible tan lines) with paint splattered on it. He looked like a little kid who had just gotten out of running around in the woods. Picking up the chill set in the air by the weather, he asked Suga, “Aren’t you cold?”

He shrugged, “Yeah.” With a little laugh, he added, “Not much I can do about it, though.”

Daichi sighed, drawing a small smile, “Come on, I’ll get you home.”

The walk to the subway had been in silence, but neither of them minded. They walked on, Daichi offering to carry the umbrella, Suga accepting, and small things like that. When they had gotten on, they sat next to each other, Suga telling Daichi which stop they would get off at.

Suga fumbled with his hands in his lap, twisting and pulling his fingers so that he could make some sense of the feelings that were threatening to overtake his stomach. Daichi noticed the dark skin that encompassed the area beneath Suga’s eyes, and he asked, “Are you tired?”

Suga gave a smile, pointing at the bags beneath his hazel eyes, “Did these give it away?”

Daichi nodded and Suga gave a fairy-like laugh. “I’ve been getting to bed late and getting up early, even though I’ve been telling myself to do better.”

The other chuckled, “Yeah, I do the same thing, and I don’t even have an excuse for it to be that way…besides school in the morning.”

Suga nodded, waited a beat, then tentatively placed his head on Daichi’s shoulder. Daichi was…muscular, to say the least, so his shoulder felt very cushioning to Suga. Daichi was a little surprised at first, but allowed it to happen.

Pretty soon, the ashen-haired had fallen asleep.

 ~~~

Almost arriving at their stop, Daichi gently nudged Suga awake, murmuring his name repetitively. Sleepy eyes searched Daichi’s as an eyebrow worked its lazy way upwards. “Huh?” he asked, voice raspy.

Daichi smiled, “We’re almost there,” and as soon as he had made his statement, a crystalline voice chirped the name of the station. Sawamura helped Koushi to his feet as they waddled their way out of the crowded cab and down the street to the apartment where Koushi lived.

When they got there, there wasn’t a lot to be seen. A small apartment, a simple table, a used couch, and so on. Daichi found this to be very Suga-like; functional, despite the wear-and-tear. Feeling a little at home, Daichi asked his infatuation if he could help with the tea he was currently making. Instead, Suga shooed him away, insisting he go to his room to get some fresh clothes on, for he was told that he was starting to smell like a wet dog.

Returning back to the kitchen, Suga had just been sitting himself down on the couch and setting two mugs of hot tea out on the coffee table. Accepting it with kind gratitude, Daichi pulled something from behind his back and edged it towards Suga, eyes bright with pride.

“Um, so they’re not as great as I wanted them to be, but, you know, they’re finished,” Daichi stumbled.

Suga took the kneepads into his lap and smiled giddily down at them. He lifted his face and wore the biggest smile humanly possible. Suga took Daichi’s hands into his own and squeezed them tight, “They’re _amazing_. And I’m sure they feel that way too.”

Hesitation in his voice, Daichi asked, “Would you like me to…help you? Put them on, I mean?”

A light flush crept its way onto Suga’s cheeks, but the smile did not falter as he insisted, “Of course.”

Suga shuffled his pant legs above his knees again as Daichi tugged the kneepads a little above his kneecaps, twisting and tugging as if last minute touches would change the way they felt. Daichi looked up questioningly, asking a million questions with his expression.

Suga stood up to bend his knees and stretch out a little bit, and once he had twisted around, he threw over his shoulder, “They fit perfectly. And they’re so comfortable, what are they made out of?”

Daichi cleared his throat, “The, uh, sock part is made out of a polyester with spandex entwined to help with the stretch and the snugness of it. The pad is just a thin rubber.”

Suga nodded thoughtfully, as if he were really processing this all. He sat down again and gestured towards the tea, “I wasn’t sure how you like your tea, so I made it the same way as I make mine.”

To Daichi’s surprise, it tasted wonderful, which brought up his concerns about beer and chocolate again. “If you’re around my age,” he started, “Then you shouldn’t be able to buy beer. But you have doctor’s orders, which is odd because I’ve never heard of that. Why is that?”

Suga leaned back, shutting his eyes and letting out a sigh. Keeping his eyes closed, he said, “I have a taste disorder. I can’t taste anything, but apparently, alcohol, tobacco, or smoking are such extremities of taste that they can influence the taste buds on your tongue. Alcohol is the least poisoning to a teenager, so that’s why. For some reason, though,” he flit his eyes open to look at Daichi gratefully, “I can taste your food.”

Daichi smiled at him, “It’s getting around dinner time anyway; would you like me to make you something?”

Suga nodded appreciatively.

In just a few minutes, spices fluttered about a frying pan, smells wafted through the room, and music was put on to enlighten the mood. There was a lot of dancing with ridiculous singing, contagious laughing, and juggling of, “Oh shit, Suga, did we burn it?!”

In the end, the table was laden with good food and many sauces to adorn it. With a happy environment, they sat there eating with a slight hum of energy bouncing between the two of them. Pretty soon, a very bluesy, sad song began ringing through the radio, and out escaped from Daichi, “Did I really hurt you? When I kissed you?”

Suga stared at him for a moment, halfway through swallowing a piece of chicken. He swallowed, then turned the radio off, returning to his seat to fold his hands back in his lap and to stare at them. “You need to understand that I never meant to hit you afterwards. It just happened.”

Eyebrows furrowing in the center, the other boy looked at him pleadingly as he begged, “Then what did I do wrong? Please tell me…Koushi.”

Suga was taken aback by hearing his first name, and knew that he liked it the moment he heard it. That, however, did not derail the mood of their conversation. To avoid looking into Sawamura’s eyes, he took his glass to the sink to refill it, and hunched over the sink, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Daichi, I-” his voice broke. He swallowed and tried again, feeling the other’s eyes burn onto his back, “I’m a very broken man. I’ve had a lot of people throw me away, or use me, and that just makes me feel very protective.”

“Koushi, I’m sorry, I just-”

Sugawara interrupted, “But then I met you,” turning his head to the side with a soft smile. “And you were just like them and more. The first time I met each of them, they welcomed me with their hearts and they promised me all these things, but you gave me all of those things, when they did not. And I just-”

Daichi waited as patiently as he could, but then realized that he didn’t know what to say. “How did I screw it up?”

Suga gave a chuckle, “You kissed me. You kissed me and it was beautiful and it reminded me of what I had missed, but then I realized that was where commitment started, and I just wasn’t…ready, I guess.”

“Koushi, I’m not like those other guys,” but he stopped himself before he could say more. He knew he had screwed up because Suga whirled around, seething rage and hurt leaking out of his eyes.

Angry tears flooded as he screeched, “Are you fucking kidding me?! Everyone else has said that! Everyone says, ‘But I’ll change, babe! I’m different!’ You know what? _No_. I’m not playing another game like this because you don’t know me Daichi, and you don’t know how badly I’ve been hurt, so who the hell are you to prance into my house and tell me what to feel, okay?! Okay??!!”

Using his forearm, he wiped the tears away with his forearm fervently, crying, “Fucking shit, Daichi. I thought I could trust you.”

Like a dog with its tail between its legs, Daichi got up and slumped to the door, pulling his shoes on, not bothering to change into his previous clothes. Whispering, he said, “Sugawara Koushi.” And that was it. No goodbyes, no apologies, just, _Sugawara_ _Koushi_.

Suga stood in the kitchen, gasping for breath to control his emotions. Once upon a time, Suga was the toughest boy you would’ve ever met. He wasn’t afraid of anything, or at least that was what his mother said, before That Time. Then Broken happened. Broken where emotions collided into each other and wiped themselves off of his heart and soul, and left him wondering if he was just as empty as his mother would now say he was.

No, he was better now. He was more than Broken. He was a man who depended on no one but himself and could get his life together and if that meant anything, then it definitely also meant that he needed to have the last word in a stupid argument with stupid emotional feelings.

He practically ripped the door off its hinges, not bothering to shut it. He tore his way down the stairs as the rain came pouring down like hell was in control of the weather. Slipping on one of the concrete stairs, he slid, tumbling down a few before he picked himself back up, ignoring the aches and pains resonating throughout his body. At the top of his lungs he screeched, “DAICHI!!!” As he finally made it to the landing where Sawamura could be seen.

In a panic, Daichi whipped around, bracing himself against the back of the railing, looking up at Suga, who was out of breath and panting. Just before Suga could open his mouth, it was now Dai’s turn to be upset. “You won’t say a single thing about yourself, and yet you expect me to know where the limits are between us! How was I supposed to know that you’d been hurt several times before, huh?! And if that amounts to anything, I’ve spent months trying to figure out how the hell someone like you even came across someone like me, because if no one else will, I _will_! I care, okay?! Happy now?! Are you satisfied?!”

Sucking in a breath, Suga began sniffling again, and hurled himself down the last flight of stairs into Daichi. With both arms, Daichi embraced him and the horrible sobbing that took place on his shoulder. Feeling relieved, Daichi started laughing, feeling hot tears cascade down his cheeks as well. With a snort, Suga joined in too, and soon they were both laughing and crying away the frustration and agony of the past few weeks.

Daichi held Suga’s chin in his hand, peppering kisses all about his face while Suga tilted his chin down, allowing this to happen with a smile a mile wide. They locked lips for just a moment, when Daichi pulled back, smiling an ear-to-ear grin. Resting his forehead against Suga’s, he looked deep into Koushi’s eyes and slurred, “I think I love you.”

Koushi took his hand and kissed the center of it, replying, “That’s close enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read; for every comment (*cough*APieceOfHaikyuuTrash), kudo, and hit I've received  
> Peace out,  
> Scout


End file.
